Abkhazian Kingdom

Kingdom of Abkhazia
აფხაზთა სამეფო
Kingdom
778–1008
Flag
Kingdom of Abkhazia at the peak of its might
Capital		Anacopia (778-786) Kutaisi (786-1008)
Languages		Georgian
Religion		Georgian Orthodox Church
Political structure		Kingdom
King
•	767–811	Leon II (first)
•	978–1014	Bagrat III (last)
Historical era		Early Middle Ages
•	Established	778
•	Union of Abkhazia and Tao-Klarjeti	1008
•	Disestablished	1008
Preceded by Succeeded by Lazica Principality of Iberia Kingdom of Georgia
Today part of		Countries today  Georgia  Russia

Flag

Kutaisi (786-1008)

The Kingdom of Abkhazia (Georgian: აფხაზთა სამეფო; Apkhazta samepo), also known as the Kingdom of the Abkhazians, refers to an early medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which lasted from the 780s until being united, through dynastic succession, with the Kingdom of Georgia in 1008.

Writing the kingdom's primary history was dominated by Georgian and Byzantine sources supported by modern epigraphic and archaeological records.

The problem of the Abkhazian Kingdom, particularly the questions of the nature of its ruling family and its ethnic composition, is a major point of controversy between modern Georgian and Abkhaz scholars. This can be largely explained by the scarcity of primary sources on these issues. Most Abkhaz historians claim the kingdom was formed as a result of the consolidation of the early Abkhaz tribes that enabled them to extend their dominance over the neighboring areas. This is objected to on the side of the Georgian historians, some of them claiming that the kingdom was completely Georgian.

Most international scholars agree that it is extremely difficult to judge the ethnic identity of the various population segments due primarily to the fact that the terms "Abkhazia" and "Abkhazians" were used in a broad sense during this period—and for some while later—and covered, for all practical purposes, all the population of the kingdom, comprising both the Georgian (including also Mingrelians, Laz, and Svans with their distinct languages that are sisters to Georgian) and possible modern Abkhaz (Abasgoi, Apsilae, and Zygii) peoples. It seems likely that a significant (if not predominant) proportion of the Georgian-speaking population, combined with a drive of the Abkhazian kings to throw off the Byzantine political and cultural dominance, resulted in Georgian replacing Greek as the language of literacy and culture.